Travel Expense Rebates And Incentives Result In $40 Million FCA Settlement

PricewaterhouseCoopers has agreed to pay $41.9 million to settle a qui tam civil False Claims Act lawsuit brought by a former partner alleging that the accounting firm had knowingly overbilled various government agencies for travel in conjunction with auditing and consulting work by failing to give the government credit for commissions, rebates, and incentives that travel companies and credit card issuers extended to the firm. The former partner turned whistleblower, who alleged that the accounting firm's management ignored internal complaints about the practice, reportedly is expected to receive between 15 and 25 percent of the government's $41.9 million recovery, plus $1.6 million in legal fees and costs.